The Broom Closet
by kelby brandt
Summary: Patsy and Delia take a risk. Was going to be just one chapter but then I got more ideas. Had a lot of fun writing ch.2!
1. Chapter 1

"Hello, Deels." Patsy practically waltzed over to Delia who was sitting at the table, focusing too intently on the needlework to look up.

"Hello. Gosh, that bicycle did a number on this hem."

Patsy smiled ever so slightly as she leaned down and gave Delia a soft kiss on her neck. And with that Delia turned her head upwards to offer Patsy an appreciative, almost devilish grin, while Patsy turned her face towards the door. "Those damn bicycles," she said in her typical deep, sarcastic tone, turning a flirtatious smile back again. "Really, Delia. You astound me sometimes."

"Why?" Delia asked, once again distracted by the rumpled hem.

"Well, I wouldn't go near a bicycle after going through what you went through. Biscuit?"

"What? Oh, no thanks." Intent sewing.

Patsy let out a sigh. "I suppose I'll go to my room for a bit. Or engage Sister Monica Joan in a conversation about Socrates and Copernicus?" She looked at Delia one last time pursing her lips to one side before getting up in a bit of a huff.

"Where are you going?"

"Delia, you do realize that Tom Herrowitt would be better company than you at the moment."

Delia thumped her uniform on the table. "Oh, I am sorry, Pats. I've got to get this mended before my shift tonight." She met Patsy's pouty but mischievous gaze. "Look, you can sit here and tell me all about your day, and I'll pretend to listen," Delia offered triumphantly.

"Ah, sounds lovely," Patsy retorted, hoping that biting her lip would make her immune to Delia's smile.

"So. Any babies today, Nurse Mount?" Delia peaked up at Patsy in between stitches.

"No. District rounds."

"Hm. Same visits as last week?"

"Mhm, mostly. One young man, twelve years old, has a heart defect that we've been keeping an eye on. Or an ear on. Down's Syndrome." Patsy took a whiff of her cigarette thoughtfully before disposing of the ashes at the end.

"Is he going to be alright?"

Patsy blew out some smoke. "Yes, they think so. Hope so. He's a delightful little thing. Quite happy despite everything." She suddenly remembered that she preferred to hear Delia talk about her day, or about anything. "How was your shift last night? Matron in better spirits?"

"Not really. She pulled her back out while trying to show a new recruit how to turn Mr. Tumblemire."

"Is Mr. Tumblemire that large?"

"Let's just say it took four of us to finally get the job done," Delia said, seeming to forget about her uniform. "He's in for a sore on his backside."

"Don't describe it." Patsy's face was deadpan, but she wouldn't have cared if Delia did describe every detail. She had seen it all before.

"It was so cavernous that it would have given the echo in St. Peter's Basilica a run for its money. Poor man."

"Dear lord," Patsy said, cringing.

"Speaking of bed sores, I think I'm up for that biscuit now." Delia flashed a daring smile at Patsy.

"Your wish is my command. If it will keep you from talking about Mr. Tumblemire's insides." Perhaps because Patsy was distracted by Delia, she knocked the ashtray onto the floor as she was going to stand. "Oh, damn," she almost blurted but managed to whisper the vulgarity.

"Patience Mount! Where's the broom?" Delia chided playfully as she shoved her chair out to help with the mess.

"Over here in the broom closet." Patsy grabbed the broom and then felt Delia's presence beside her.

"That's quite a large closet," she said with a matter-of-fact hand on one hip, peering into the tiny space.

"Oh no, Delia Busby."

"Oh come on, Pats! Just for five seconds." Delia grabbed hold of Patsy's free hand.

"We've talked about this. It's far too risky, Deels. Even five seconds." Despite Patsy's protest, she wasn't resisting Delia's pull towards the closet. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or bad thing that Delia's courage was back in full force.

"It will be fine, Pats. The nuns are in the chapel. Barbara and Trixie are out."

Patsy couldn't resist the pleading smile and, with a deep sigh, she heard an "okay, fine" come out of her mouth. Before she knew it, they had their arms wrapped around each other as if kissing in a closet was something they did everyday. Patsy had to try her best to keep one ear to the door however difficult as the embrace grew deeper. And then... footsteps. Patsy pulled her lips away as Delia observed her alert, discerning eyes.

"Who is it?" Delia whispered.

The steps were heavy. The cupboards were opened and closed with too much force."Sister Evangelina. Compline must be over," she whispered back.

"Oh for goodness..." Sister Evangelina had obviously discovered the ashtray on the floor. "Those girls... and their cigarettes..."

Patsy and Delia's nervousness was overtaken by the attempt to keep their giggles from being audible as Sister Evangelina steamed and murmured to herself. And then, as the footsteps grew closer, it became apparent that the sister was heading towards the broom closet. Patsy reached out in the nick of time and wrapped her hand around a string attached to the inside of the door, pulling with all her might.

Sister Evangelina was stronger than Patsy had imagined as the nun jiggled the door in the opposite direction. "What on earth?" She pulled harder.

Patsy didn't know if she was a match for the Evangelina's determination. Delia, seeing Patsy's struggle, hugged her from the back and pulled, doubling the weight, all the while trying to keep her laughter from escaping.

"Good Lord." Sister Evangelina had stopped pulling and started walking out of the room with a grunt of annoyance. "Fred!"

Patsy and Delia erupted into a heap of laughter before attempting to contain themselves to plot their escape. After peaking an eye out to make sure the coast was clear, Patsy pulled Delia out and closed the closet door. "We should sneak away while we have the chance."

"Too late, Pats. I hear footsteps." Delia now expected her to take the lead. Ever since they met, she would be the one to get them into trouble, and Patsy would always find a way to get them out of it.

"Here. Hide behind the curtain."

"What?"

"Go!" Patsy shoved her behind one of the long, heavy drapes just as Sister Evangelina entered the room with Fred in tow.

"Alright, Fred. See for yourself. As stuck as a rusted bell."

"I've never had any problems with it before, Sister."

Neither one noticed Patsy as the nun grabbed the door handle with both hands and, before Patsy could say a word, pulled with every ounce she contained. The door flung wide open, and the force with which Sister Evangelina flew backwards was so great that Patsy thought she would surely hit a wall and the whole of Nonnatus would quake violently. As it turned out, she didn't hit the wall. She did, however, manage to do a backwards somersault ending up face down in the ashes spilled from the ashtray.

"Sister Evangelina! Are you alright?" Fred flew to her side.

Delia was in a fit of giggles causing the drapes to shiver. Patsy kicked her.

"Fred- pff- would you be so kind as to fetch the- pfff- broom?" the nun asked, blowing ashes out of her mouth. Turning to her side, she noticed Patsy across the room standing with her hands clasped sheepishly in front of her. "Oh, so it's you, Nurse Mount. I suppose you know who's responsible for this?"

Patsy didn't want to face the wagging finger but gave it a go. "Yes, Sister. I spilled the ashtray earlier."

"You did, did you? And you just left it there as if it would clean itself up?"

"I actually went straight to the broom closet. After discovering that the door was wedged I went to find someone who could help me open it. I then came back after finding no one and, using a little more force, was able to open it at last. Unfortunately, when you came in with Fred, I didn't realize you were going to open the door, let alone open it with so much..."

Sister Evangelina looked at her with annoyed expectancy. "So much what, Nurse Mount?"

"Determination. Otherwise, I would have said something beforehand. I am sorry." The drapes shook every so slightly. Patsy bit her lip.

"As you should be. Now get to cleaning this mess, and next time consider keeping the ash inside the tray instead of on the floor!" And with that she was off.

Fred shrugged before deciding to mosey towards Patsy. "May I offer you my own bit of advice, Nurse Mount?"

She nodded, half distracted by the thought of Delia in the drapery.

"Next time, tell Ms. Busby to tuck her shoes underneath the curtains. That will guarantee the sister not noticing. Good luck this time, though, eh?" Fred smiled all in good fun. Patsy knew he didn't suspect anything indecent.

As Fred whistled out of the room, Delia was practically doubled over in laughter. "Oh good lord, that was close! Pats, you little fibber. You were simply amazing."

"Why thank you, Deels." She knew she probably shouldn't be, but Patsy was little bit pleased with her ability to tell white lies. She honed the craft in her childhood, of course, and it had proved enormously helpful in getting her Delia out of trouble.

Another bullet successfully dodged. Another day in the life of Patience Mount.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're up early, Pats." Delia said the name with a daring gleam in her eye.

"Of course I am. One must make sure everything is spotless, shiny, and ready to go."

Delia loved the smile that snuck onto Patsy's face whenever they saw each other after a long shift. She also loved it when Patsy's eyes looked as if they were still trying to awake, her voice still cracking slightly. "Please tell me you got enough sleep last night," she chided, accepting Patsy's warm, lingering kiss on her cheek.

"More than the night before when you were off, darling." She glared at Delia mischievously.

"It did take you a while to learn that card game, didn't it?"

Patsy rolled her eyes. "So, Nurse Busby, how was the London last night? Any fascinating tales to tell?"

"Oh you know, the usual. Except I couldn't get a blood draw this morning to save my life! It was beyond humiliating."

"Really?" Patsy raised a surprised eyebrow. She had seen Delia save the day on many occasions when other more experienced nurses couldn't get a drop.

As a matter of fact, Patsy herself had no success one evening when on male surgical.

* * *

The patient yanked his arm away from the villainous needle. "You thieving blonde bat! You might as well just saw off my whole bloody arm!"

She shot Mr. Bumbleworst a look of woe and was quite angry that, in return, he managed to move her with his tear-filled eyes. "I will come back in a swift second, Mr. Bumbleworst. Do behave and stay put in the meanwhile?"

Patsy grabbed Nurse Winters by the arm before she bustled out of the ward. "I can't find Mr. Bumbleworst's vein at all. I would ask you, but you wouldn't be able find it, either."

"Oh, thanks a lot," Nurse Winters replied, resting an indignant hand on one hip.

"It's true! I can't tell Matron. She'll dispatch one of her high and mighty glares."

"Don't knock yourself out Goldilocks. I'll ask Nurse Busby to sneak in after her shift on the next ward ends."

Delia burst through the double doors like a little Welsh sunbeam. "Now where exactly is this elusive vein hiding, Nurse Mount?"

Patsy returned the flirtatious grin while trying to keep from fainting. _Stay calm, Patsy. Stay cool._ "If I knew where it was hiding, Nurse Busby, I would have found it by now." _Oh dear lord, that was pathetic. You're an idiot, Patience._ But Patsy's face was the picture of stoic control. Mona Lisa would be a little jealous.

With a bit of smile still contained between her lips, Delia popped the needle in and got the job done. "There you are, Mr. Bumbleworst. The worst is over. At least for today."

"You're an angel, dearie. A pretty little angel."

Patsy would have given Mr. Bumbleworst a territorial glare if it wasn't for the fact that she agreed with his statement.

"And you, sir, are quite the flatterer. Nurse Mount, would you mind applying the bandage? I'll take this hard-won tube of blood down to pathology."

"Hard-won, indeed. I've got the battle-scars to show for it, Nurse."

Patsy looked down at Mr. Bumbleworst's bruised arm and felt horrible for being responsible for said battle scars.

The man gestured violently for her to come closer. "Hey Nurse," he whispered. "Does that little lovely thing have a fella?"

Aside from the fact that Mr. Bumbleworst had to be approaching sixty, Patsy wanted to declare to world-or the ward- that Delia did, indeed, have a someone. _Never mind that I haven't asked her on a date or even told her that I adore every step she takes. Every smile. Every look of confidence when she walks into a room. That my stomach flutters every time she flirtatiously calls me Nurse Mount when we're off duty and walking back to the Nurse's Home in the dark. Never mind that I haven't told her thank you for going out of her way to take me out when I'm having an off day—that I haven't found the courage to acknowledge the fact that she's the only person who has ever looked beyond my cool exterior enough to know that I'm not okay._

* * *

"Pats, are you listening? You seem a little distracted."

"What? Oh, yes. Let me guess... it was an elderly man. Dehydrated and sedentary?"

"Very good! You should be a nurse."

"I have given it a thought. Did you end up getting it at last?"

"Well, he refused to drink any water preferring black pepper ale. After informing him that ale wasn't going to hydrate him or make it any easier to get his blood, he told me to sod off!"

Patsy smirked. "He could have said worse. Did you ask him to pump his hand?"

Delia shook her head. "That didn't even make the vein visible. So I had to ask Matron to attempt it. Her face turned tomato red when she wasn't successful, and Mr. Ale called her a..." Delia suddenly looked sheepish.

Patsy waited with wide-eyed expectancy trying to contain her amusement at the fact that Delia couldn't utter vulgarities without being a little embarrassed. "He called her a what?"

"Well, we are in a convent. It was enough to inspire an evil glare from Matron. I don't think it had the intended effect on Mr. Ale, because he gave her a wink!"

"Oh dear. Poor Matron," Patsy replied in between gathering bandages from the shelf along with other odds and ends.

"Poor Matron, indeed. Not like she hasn't seen it before."

"Haven't we all. I'm surprised you've been able to stay on male surgical this long, Deels." Patsy gave her bag one last once-over before buttoning it up.

"It's only for another three weeks." Delia took in an excited breath. "Even though I will have to do weekend shifts while attending midwifery training."

"And next week?"

"Hmm, what could be happening next week? I'm sure nothing in particular." Delia's mischievous smile gave her away as she slinked over to Patsy.

"I'll go to Paris with myself and leave you to enjoy the company of all the lovely gentlemen on male surgical who are dying to sweep you off your feet," Patsy teased, squishing Delia's cheeks between her thumb and fingers. "You do look tired."

Delia stole Patsy's hand and gave it a kiss."You're doing it again, Pats."

"Doing what?"

"You're giving me the examination with your critical nurse's eye. The dark circles are from working a twelve-hour shift and being up ten hours before that. That also accounts for the paleness."

"And what about the sparkle in your eye?" Patsy said, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's waist.

Delia's mouth formed a ridiculous grin. There was no such thing as composure when Patsy looked at her like that. "They don't have a cure for that, Nurse Mount."

"No, I suppose not." Patsy took in a deep, contented breath.

It came to her while riding her bicycle; that look in Delia's eyes that she didn't have time to place while in the supply room preparing for her rounds. Her thoughts could never rise above Nurse Crane's voice trumpeting out the morning schedule. But the memories would show their faces in the most mundane moments.

Thankfully, her times with Delia were starting to cover up the more nightmarish memories of her childhood. The clear windows had been blown out and left in broken bits on the floor. Now Patsy felt as if they were being fit back together; slowly and painstakingly like an impossible puzzle.

Patsy wasn't the same person she had been as a girl, though. Even her personality had changed from light and carefree before the war to a more guarded and jaded woman—but somehow more loving. The window was no longer crystal clear, letting the whole world be seen through it just as it is, and no longer content to remain broken. Now it told stories. Now it had lines and shapes; jagged edges and colored light.

Standing back and looking at the work in progress, what could Delia see exactly? What did she see when Patsy first spotted that unapologetic sparkle in her eyes?

* * *

It was a rainy spring night, and Delia had opened the window to sneak through it into her shared room at the nurse's home. Having assumed that Nurse Winters was off with her junior doctor boyfriend, Delia had climbed through the window and landed on her room-mate's bed with two mud-coated shoes.

Delia didn't realize that Nurse Winters was curled up in the bed in a warm, cozy ball until her foot caught on the silent bundle's leg, and Delia flailed to the floor with a thud. The bedside lamp was turned on. Two sleepy eyes were rubbed. One eye was opened. Delia bit her lip.

"What on earth are you doing on the floor, Delia? You didn't sneak through my window again, did you?"

Delia would have replied, but she could only focus on the mud prints left on her room-mate's brand new white bed cover that her mother had just given as a birthday present. "When I saw it, I thought of you, my darling. May you cherish it always and keep it spotlessly clean," the mother had said.

Delia's eyes drifted up to the window to make contact with two large blue eyes trying to send her a telepathic message. The message was, _it's raining, and I'm wet, dammit._

"Delia?" Nurse Winters looked up at the window behind her. "Oh for fuck's sake, Delia Busby. You two sneaking around at odd hours of the morning again?"

"If you say one word, Bonnie Winters, I won't hesitate to spread the word about finding you and Ronnie in the cupboard last month!"

"Don't be so touchy. One would think you two had been up to something naughty. Were they junior doctors or some blokes you found at the pub?"

Delia smiled weakly remembering that her and Patsy had only been at a diner for some fish and chips. "I'm afraid our night out was quite uneventful, Bonnie. Now help me open the window so Patsy can come in out of the rain."

The fringed brunette said that she needed to walk Patsy back to her room by way of an apology for leaving her in the rain, and they tiptoed gingerly down the hallway. When they reached the end, instead of going to the stairs to Patsy's room on the second floor, Delia grabbed her hand and quite briskly pulled her into the kitchen.

"Delia, what are you doing? We already had fish and chips. No need for a late-night snack. Besides, between the fish and being soaked through, I feel a bit like a dog left out in the rain for too long."

"Shh! Look Pats, I'm in a bind," Delia whispered, leading Patsy to the other side of the room.

"Oh, what is it?" Patsy didn't hide her annoyance. Her bed was calling as well as the reality that she had an early afternoon shift, and she wanted to be up in enough to time to have everything in order for the day.

"Well, Bonnie Winters is going to have my head if she finds me tonight, that's what."

"What? Why?"

Delia's alert eyes shifted to the kitchen entrance as her body stood as still as a rock. "Oh damn."

Delia swore. Patsy knew this must not be good.

"Footsteps. She's coming, Pats!" Delia quietly but swiftly opened the broom closet door and pulled her partner in crime inside, closing the door just as Bonnie Winters peaked her head in the kitchen.

Patsy prepared to voice her complaint over suddenly being squished in a closet, but Delia covered her mouth. "I think she's in the kitchen." Delia's mouth was far too close to Patsy's ear causing Patsy to catch her breath, and Delia was practically sitting on her lap. Patsy resolved to bolt out of that closet as soon as the coast was clear.

"Delia Busby, just you wait! You're buying me a new bed cover!"

The two stowaways heard footsteps echoing up the stairs, and Patsy cringed to think that Bonnie might awake her room-mate and cause a raucous.

"I think we're safe for the moment," Delia said, breathing in relief.

"Delia?"

"Hm?"

"Are you planning on staying the night in here?"

Delia heard the rigid tone in Patsy's voice but carried on despite it. "Do we really have a choice, Pats? Besides, it feels a bit like a camp out in here. Just a little cozier," she replied with happiness in her voice.

Patsy tried to shift her position and then felt something tickle her forehead. She quickly reached up to brush the impostor off and ended up hitting Delia in the nose.

"Gosh Pats! If I knew you were that angry with me..."

"Oh shit. Sorry, Deels! I'm not angry with you. Not really. I felt something crawling. Are you alright, dear?"

 _She called me dear._ "Yes, I'm alright. My nose might be a bit bruised in the morning. Oh, look Pats. It's just a feather duster above your head. No fangs or long, furry legs."

Patsy felt silly. She was always calm and collected on the surface, but her reflexes took over if something managed to catch her off guard. She would overreact and someone or something would almost always get hurt in the process.

"Crawly things always make me nervous. You should see the spiders in Singapore. Absolutely mammoth!" Patsy's heart raced a little when she realized she had mentioned the place she had known as a child. She knew it would probably prompt questions that must remain unanswered. But she might answer them due to her fatigue.

"Singapore, eh? Is there anything else I don't know about you, Nurse Mount?" There were plenty of things Delia didn't know about Patsy, though. She was desperate to ask her a million questions. Or just one.

"I was only there as a child," she said with an unintended broken tone. Patsy shifted uncomfortably, feeling more and more claustrophobic. She cleared her throat. The silence amplified the rain strumming against the outside walls—the ticks of the clock on the wall above the corner table.

Delia let it go. She didn't like to pressure Patsy into talking about herself or anything that made her uncomfortable. But it was so hard to predict the subjects that could make her tense up and sometimes shut down altogether.

 _Singapore, though?_ Delia suddenly realized that Patsy had probably been there during the war as a child. _God, how terrible._

Steps were heard coming down the stairs across the hall. Footsteps stopped in front of the kitchen and then disappeared down the other end of the building.

"Sounds like Bonnie went back to her room, Pats." Delia realized the proper thing would be to let Patsy go back to her room, but she wanted to be with her after this new revelation. She wanted to understand her if Patsy would let her in.

"Pats?"

An apprehensive _hm_ answered.

"Let's be schoolgirls for a few minutes and play a game."

Patsy sighed and decided to humor her friend. "Alright, what's this game then?"

"So, I'll tell you who my first film star crush was and then you have to tell me yours," she said playfully.

"Delia."

"What?"

"Okay, fine. Who was your first film star crush?" A smile slightly overtook Patsy's sleepy, claustrophobic mood.

"Well. I first thought it was Mickey Rooney, but then I realized I just thought he was funny. He'd make a good friend, you know?"

Patsy nodded in agreement.

"But one day I remember sitting by the creek near my house. I named it Cobra Creek because it winded around the rocks like a snake. And Cobra Creek sounds adventurous, doesn't it? It was actually called Stony Creek. How boring. Anyway, I started thinking about it, and I realized that I actually cared more about how Patsy Barton felt than I did Mickey Moran. I cared more about Betsy than I did for Andy."

Patsy sat quietly.

"And then I realized that if I was given a choice between having to marry Mickey Rooney or Judy Garland, I would choose Judy Garland." Delia paused for a moment but decided to press on. "Maybe it was how funny or talented she was. The fact that I was entertained by her one moment and then just wanted to hug her the next. There was always a sort of sadness behind her smile. But I also thought she was beautiful. So there it is. Now it's your turn."

What was Patsy supposed to say after that? How could Delia just come out with it like that? She confounded Patsy with her thoughtless boldness.

"I can't remember."

"Nonsense. Alright, let me guess then. Was it Marlena Dietrich? Lauren Bacall?"

 _Damnit, she knows me too well._ Patsy felt her face become a flame. "Delia." She couldn't look at her even in the dark space. "You really should be more careful."

Delia breathed in deeply and let it all out. "I'm tired of being careful, Pats. I'm tired of holding it all in. What's the point?"

"The point is, you could lose your job, your reputation—everything, Deels. It's not worth it." Patsy shifted again. She had to get out of there but couldn't will herself to make Delia move from her lap.

Delia could tell that Patsy was enormously uncomfortable, but she also knew that they had to have this conversation. She would never forgive herself if Patsy went away one day never knowing how she felt. "It is worth it, Pats. You're worth it."

Patsy's stomach tensed. She swallowed hard. There were no words. No going back after the things were said.

"Look at me, Pats."

"Why?" Patsy asked, exasperated. The frustration wasn't so much pointed towards Delia as it was her own inability to express her feelings.

"Just try," Delia replied softly.

Patsy knew what she wanted to do. Ever since they met it felt like there was some sort of magnetic force drawing them together. Maybe Delia was right. What was the point of fighting it? And as she looked at Delia's eyes in that dark space, she saw, more felt, that spark. For the first time, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to freefall. To feel. To soar.


End file.
